At the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN) Food Hub on Oct. 3, a crowd gathered to celebrate the signing of an agreement between Vermont Way Foods, a local farm, and Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity. There was cheese tasting, music, Mexican food, and a Vermont staple, Ben & Jerry’s, which signed a similar deal with the organization back in 2017.
The agreement marks a step toward ensuring that all migrant dairy farmworkers in Vermont receive fair labor protections. By signing with Migrant Justice (MJ), farms commit to following the Milk with Dignity (MD) Code of Conduct, thus guaranteeing workers paid sick days, breaks, safe working conditions, fair housing, time off, education on legal rights and a process to report abuse without retaliation.
Founded in 2009, MJ works to “build the voice, capacity and power of the immigrant farmworker community to organize for economic justice and human rights,” according to its website. Its Milk with Dignity program addresses unjust labor conditions for migrants on Vermont dairy farms.
Participating farms also receive product premiums to offset costs associated with complying with the code. MD’s Standards Council monitors implementation and serves as a liaison between workers and farmers. Before the program, there was no process for negotiation.
Among those in attendance were members of Migrant Justice at Midd (MJ@M), a student organization that partners with the nonprofit.
For MJ@M co-leader Sophia Kahn ’26, the club embodies the belief that everyone’s struggles are connected, regardless of immigration status.
“Anyone can help out with everything — no one is limited to a single role,” Kahn said. “You can do art, cook, write, discuss, find community and much more.”
A goal for the MD campaign is to have the chain grocery store Hannaford Supermarket sign the agreement and ensure that all local dairy farms supplying the chain are compliant with the MD Code of Conduct, according to MJ’s Communications and Development Coordinator Rachel Elliot. If the chain signs, dairy farms that sell their products to Hannaford must in turn comply with the MD Code of Conduct.
Major retailers such as Hannaford often benefit from low dairy prices, which can reflect underpaid, overworked migrant workers. To push for change, MJ plans a statewide “Hannaford Mega-Action Day” on Nov. 15, with coordinated pickets in towns across the state such as Morrisville, Shelburne and Middlebury.
Matt Stevenson ’27 attended one of these Hannaford picket lines last year, which motivated them to join MJAM and eventually become a co-leader.
“I think at Middlebury, it’s possible to operate sort of in the college bubble and not be in touch with everything that’s happening in the country and the state,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson described the club as a community in which real power can be built by people centered around achieving social justice.
Remi Beauharnois ’27, an MJ@M co-leader, also attended one of these past pickets.
“[Hannaford] has their own private police force that comes out, so that’s pretty impactful for me to see direct opposition to the work we’re doing,” Beauharnois said.
Despite the opposition, she emphasized the positive impact of a supportive community, especially following the recent uptick in the harassment of migrant workers.
Supporters can sign a Hannaford consumer pledge, agreeing to participate in a boycott if Migrant Justice calls for one.
“The consumer pledge campaign directly puts pressure on Hannaford and allows Migrant Justice to demonstrate, with proof, the amount of people who would participate in a boycott at the store, which is a useful bargaining chip,” Stevenson said.
Supporters can also submit Hannaford receipts to show the level of consumer support for a potential boycott, according to Elliot.
Another current goal for MJ, along with the MD Hannaford campaign, is to counter the drastic increase in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. To support these efforts, members have been at the ICE office in St. Albans, accompanying people to appointments.
Additionally, MJ works to to help release people from detention centers, such as the recent case of Emanuel and Guadalupe Diaz, a father and son who were detained in South Burlington in late August, but are being held in a detention facility in Michigan.
Elliot, like Beauharnois, finds inspiration in the local community.
“I always leave the worker assemblees feeling incredibly inspired,” Elliot said. “During these meetings, workers from all over the region gather together to talk through shared struggles and build towards collective solutions. You can really see the power of the immigrant community in those spaces.”
